Happy Hour: Encore!

The third live streaming announced on Dec The 28th -6pm is the answer to my Discreet Profile Diva. Need to write her name..?or be discreet as well....

Meanwhile, having survived two smashing nights at Bastille I am waiting for the lottery answer ... Forza or no Forza? Destiny..........

Happy Hour:The DPD!

No! it is not a new type of Asian flu.
If I illustrate this by the image of a praised soprano  I really appreciate more and more, it will already refer to letter D for Diva.
If I talk about this Diva and her art of singing, it will refer to letter P for Profile.
If it is impossible to find this Diva on internet on her blog, get any information on her family relationship, her perfume, the trademark of her shoes and clothes, the photo of her partner, boyfriend, or husband, the place where she lives, the last photo of her holiday or last appearance at a fashion show, nothing of the sort will transpire  in the media,
If it is impossible to find on the net and her fan page (yes she has one) any photo of hers pulling faces not even when she sings (that's a tour de force....) all these facts immediately refer to letter D for Discreet.
Who is hiding behind the Discreet Profile Diva?
(my answer in the next Happy Hour! if I survive Makropoulos case and Lucia de Lammermoor both at Bastille in the days to come. I will not see my DPD favourite soprano, hard luck for me  she is performing elsewhere,  bien entendu....)

New season at Marseille Opera House.

The internet site is much better and every thing seems to have improved a lot. When I arrived from Shanghai I went to Marseille to get my subscription .
I discovered the newly finished   seafront with such a wide  pedestrian aria facing the sea, plus the now famous shadow roof where  life  is upside down !
I discovered the new season with delight, rejoicing at  two concerts, one  with one of my favourite sopranos, Natalie Dessay and the other one with the veterant baritone Leo Nucci !
The season nearly starts with a thrilling belcanto opera : La Straniera. I will  discover an opera I only followed on the net with Great Edita Gruberova, and then see younger singers I truly enjoy both as singers and artists: Patrizia Ciofi and Karine Deshayes.
I have an idea Marseille Opera House will  be packed for the dress-rehearsal.
Last season ended quite early for me as I went to China at the end of March and missed the last productions.
Patrizia Ciofi is  the soprano I have seen performing regularly here.
When she starts a new role she comes to us, either Avignon opera house or Marseille opera house! She is a belcantist and a dramatic soprano with a fragile look and yet such a powerful dramatic intensity in all her renditions.
 I have seen her Lucias (Orange and Marseille),  her Traviata(Avignon), her Juliette (Marseille) and her unforgettable Ophélie.( Each time it is possible to find my account here.)
It all started in Saint-Denis Cathedral when I witnessed her  sing  Clorinda, Combattimento (Monteverdi).
 Her voice in this huge vessel had celestial wings....What a nice couple they made as actors - singers with Rolando Villazon  too!(seen at Orange he was Edgardo she was Lucia....Donizetti. I will see her soon at Bastille, same Lucia ..some years after.)
PHOTO from Arte rendition of Combattimento, Last word from dying Clorinda' Pace'!(many thanks to Teresa59 for uploading).

Cheers to the new season starting soon with ...VERDI, of course!!!!

Song for Thought: Joyce Di Donato Last night at the Prom's.

Quotation from Joyce Di Donato 's blog 

"I knew that I simply had to personally dedicate my performance on Saturday to all of those brave, valorous gay and lesbian souls whose voices are currently being silenced – either by family, friends, or by their government. As I’ve done in the past, this is a very individual dedication made only here (not on the stage of the glorious Royal Albert Hall)."

Here, the BBC broadcast is unavailable. But luckily the performance is on youtube and of course I am very grateful to Rupert Jones who uploaded Joyce Di Donato special rendition of Somwhere over the rainbow ' (Link at the end of this post )

Some artists are persons like we are and react with humanity to atrocious living conditions around this planet. Others are more 'bling-bling' and do not mind advertising for very posh trademarks and dubious politicians but will not stand openly for some vital causes like this one. Of course my choice goes to artists like Joyce Di Donato and I think the audience at the Albert Hall last night, felt similar gratitude for her commitment.
When I was at University I had a part time job and was late at the major lectures. The lecture room  was often full because too small.  I had to stand in the corridor very often, trying to grab the essence of what was going on!
One day some people waved to me from the first rows inside, where they had secured a seat for me. I did not know them, but they had noticed me. They became good friends of mine, they were homos 'queer' was the expression those days. They even invited me to my first skiing  holidays !
Who else would have noticed the girl always standing at the door in the corridor?
Now in my musical world my best friends also fight for their rights because it is never over, when you are not, so called, 'normal '.
My blog friends are also not 'straight' but who cares when the heart is wide open to other souls?
France has made a great step forward recently with Marriage for all. Where I live there are strong oppositions to the new law because of the Far right lobby in several town halls like Orange (yes the Choregies famous place ) and also Bollène. So the battle for equal rights is not over yet here.
And I feel I must be on the watch, even being retired and feeling somehow useless.
My respect to this brave artist Joyce Di Donato who cares more for human beings than  for her Art.
rupert jones youtube upload. Last Night at the Prom's 2013.

Happy Hour.

musique incidentale Hélios Azoulay

Special dedication to Arnaud and Jaime!